


and your enemies closer

by and_hera



Series: hold me fast [5]
Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Monster!Jack Wright, Post-Canon, ~drama~
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27376216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/and_hera/pseuds/and_hera
Summary: There are shadows up and down buildings, and it’s eerily quiet. Ben’s never heard Main Street so quiet in his life. He kind of wants to cry, because he spent so long journaling and doing his best to protect this place, and it all went to hell in a handbasket anyway. He doesn’t cry, because Lily is here, and even though he’s seen her when she wakes up and doesn’t realize she has drool on her face, some part of him still wants to impress her.or, the one in which Ben and Lily finally make it into King Falls, and things are about as bad as they expected.
Relationships: Ben Arnold & Lily Wright, Ben Arnold/Emily Potter (Mentioned), Jack Wright & Lily Wright, Sammy Stevens/Jack Wright (mentioned)
Series: hold me fast [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956505
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	and your enemies closer

**Author's Note:**

> sorry this is a few days late! things are a little insane lately, so if my updates are late.... i promise they Will come out eventually lmao  
> pls enjoy! evil jack continues to be very very fun to write

Ben has lived in King Falls for his entire life. No ifs or buts. The whole time.

His mother, the best woman he knows- well, second only to Emily- moved there when she was sixteen with _her_ mother, and never wanted to leave. She went to community college there, met Ben’s father there, had him. And Ben has never wanted to leave, either.

It’s his _home_. 

And right now, he’s looking out over the hill that eventually takes you out of Sweetser Forest and onto Main Street, and his home is draped in shadows and- and- and general _bad_ shit.

“Okay,” Lily says, matter-of-factly. She rubs her palms together in anticipation, or maybe just from the December air. “How are we going to do this.”

“We have to get to the Krieghausers’, if we can,” Ben says. “He’s probably our best bet, and he isn’t _super_ far into town.” 

“How far into town _is_ he?”

“His house is just off Main Street.”

Lily sighs. “At least we don’t have to worry about a car,” she says.

“I think that’s the first positive thing I’ve heard you say about walking,” Ben replies amicably. “Character development.”

“Oh, shut the hell up, Arnold,” Lily says, rolling her eyes. “We still have to make it down this hill. Jesus, we’re going to have to come _up_ this hill, too. If I cry, do you think the shadows will just let me join their side?”

“You- you shut the hell up, _Wright_ ,” Ben says, stumbling over his words. “And no. They’ll probably take you whether you cry or not.”

“You know, the whole _last names thing_ doesn’t work as well when you do it, Benny boy.”

“It’s _Ben_ ,” Ben says through gritted teeth, probably for the hundredth time since they left this morning. “Look. Lily. Do you have _any_ other nicknames for me that, I don’t know, don’t involve saying my name wrong? It’s starting to _lose its flair_.”

Ben sits down. Just right on the pavement. His shoes are covered in mud from the forest, and he starts picking at them. Lily sighs, far more dramatic than need be. “Fine, _Ben_ ,” she concedes. “What’s our plan? Like, King Falls is fucked. Totally fucked.”

“That’s a song, you know.”

“Didn’t ask.”

Ben looks down at his town. “I don’t have a _plan_ ,” he says. “We just- we can’t get caught by shadows.”

“You’re telling me there’s nothing in those notebooks of yours for, I don’t know, dealing with the goddamn shadows that are taking over since the door opened yesterday?” Lily sits down beside him. “You have like, five of them. There has to be _something_.”

Ben throws his hands up. “I was hoping we could avoid opening the door until we were ready, Lily! I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I thought you were the man with a plan,” Lily says dryly. “I guess now you’re just- I don’t know. Man without plan.” She reaches over and pokes his shoulder. “Lame.”

Ben closes his eyes tight. “Okay. We’re gonna try and get to the Krieghausers’ place. They live just off Main Street- look, that’s their house right there.” He points down at the little blue building. “Loretta will definitely be home, even if Troy isn’t. We can hopefully get _something_ to help us out, or at least information on what’s happening down there.”

Lily nods. “Okay. Once we’re there, we ask the Krieghausers how everyone is doing. Figure out what we’ll have to do in the future to stop the shadows, and shit.”

“And shit,” Ben agrees. “And then we’ll have to find our way out.”

Lily nods again, slower. “That’s like, half a plan,” she mutters, “and I guess it’s better than nothing.”

* * *

Ben calls Troy once they’re in sight of his doorstep.

“Hello?” Troy says, sounding groggy. Well, it _is_ only eight thirty in the morning, but you’d think that with all the apocalypse going on, he’d be awake. “Benny, is that you?”

“Troy!” Ben says, not bothering to correct his name. “Look, I need you to unlock your door. Lily and I are in the woods, like, just past the treeline by your front door, and we need to run inside-”

“Oh, give me the phone, Arnold,” Lily cuts in, wrestling it from his grasp. “Hello? Sheriff Troy?”

“No need for titles this early in the morning, Miss Wright,” Troy says. Ben’s volume is _far_ louder than he thought it was. Well, guess most people listen to his conversations in public. Oh well. “Now, what was Ben sayin’? You guys are outside?”

Lily says, “Yes. We finally made it down here, and we need to know what’s been happening.”

“And to make sure you and Loretta are okay!” Ben says, leaning in Lily’s space to get his mouth by the receiver. She pushes his head out of her way.

“Well, that’s good news,” Troy says. “I’m glad to know y’all are okay! I’ll go get the door open for you. Run fast, now- you never know what’s out there.”

“Sadly, we do know what’s out there,” Lily says wryly. “That’s why we’re being cautious. I’ll see you in a moment, Troy.” And she hangs up. “Haven’t missed the accent,” she mutters.

“Lily, that’s the same exact accent your girlfriend has,” Ben says slowly.

Lily rolls her eyes. “First of all, not my girlfriend,” she corrects. “We’re just- we’re something. And second of all, there’s a reason she keeps her mouth closed during s-”

“ _Hey_ , look, there’s the door!” Ben awkwardly interrupts. “You ready to run?”

“Don’t be a prude, Ben,” Lily retorts, but she takes a deep breath. “But yeah. Let’s go.” She shoots him a look. “Bet I’ll beat you there.” She takes off.

Oh, goddamnit. Ben could kill her. She _knows_ he can’t turn down a challenge. He sprints after her.

He doesn’t really look behind him, or look down the road that leads back to Main Street, because he’s afraid of what he’ll see. If he doesn’t look, it was never there, right? Isn’t that, like, Schroedinger’s cat theory? Whatever. Ben doesn’t look, because before he and Lily kept creeping along the tree line to get to Troy’s, he saw shapes that looked a little like people shifting across the road, and he doesn’t want to see that ever again.

They make it to the door unharmed. Maybe they were overreacting. But then Troy shuts the door behind them and locks it, so maybe not.

“Hey, Troy,” Ben says, but he’s cut off by being engulfed in a hug. He pats Troy’s back. “It’s good to see you too, buddy.”

“Good to see you too, Ben,” he says fondly. “I’m so glad you’re all okay! After that- that show, no one knew what was happening, and then those damn shadows-’

“Troy,” Lily cuts in. “We need to know what’s happening. Is King Falls okay?”

He sighs. “No,” he says simply. “No, it ain’t alright. Things are real bad, Lily.”

“What can we do?” Ben asks, because there has to be _something_ they can do. When the world ends, there’s always a way someone can save the day. “Sammy and Emily are looking for stuff- Lily and I came to see if everything’s okay down here, and to find out what’s actually happening.”

“I think you boys talked about it on the radio a few weeks ago, little buddy,” Troy says ruefully. “There’s- there’s shadows _everywhere_.”

Lily hits a button on her phone, and Ben can see that she’s recording. He kicks himself for forgetting a recorder. “Describe them,” she says. And she’s in her _element_ now, talking to people, asking them questions about the strange and uncanny and whatever she’ll write a story about.

Troy stammers for a moment, before taking a deep breath. “They’re shaped like people,” he says slowly, “but they’re completely dark and shaky. It- it hurts your eyes to look at them.”

“And they’re just, fucking, roaming the streets?” Ben asks.

Troy nods. “Everyone’s inside. And most phones are down, so I ain’t sure who’s okay and who isn’t. Tim Jensen was in the hospital when everything went down, and I still can’t get a hold of him!”

“Oh, God,” Ben says. “ _Tim_.”

“Why are our phones working, then?” Lily asks. “We were able to call you just fine.”

“Well, Miss Wright,” Troy says, “you and Ben and Emily and Sammy are in a little bit of a different situation, aren’t you.”

Lily scoffs. “I guess,” she says. “So, you haven’t left the house since that night?”

“I walked to get groceries,” Troy says. “Strangely enough, if you stay in the center of the road, they don’t get as close. They like being- ha, well, they like being in shadows, you know. Against buildings.”

“Interesting,” Ben says. He kicks himself for not bringing a notebook. His fingers are itching to write this down. “Is there anything we can do for you, Troy? We want you and Loretta to be safe.”

Troy shakes his head. “We’re locked down here,” he says. “ _We_ will be fine. I’m more worried about the rest of the town.” He looks to the side. “I should be out there helpin’,” he continues. “I feel so useless just sitting here at home, letting those things torment my home!”

“You’re doing everything you can from home,” Lily replies, uncharacteristically kind. “You can’t help anyone if you get killed, or, hell if I know. Turned into a shadow.”

“Is that a thing?” Troy says, stepping back, face vaguely horrified.

Ben shakes his head quickly, even though he has no idea if he’s right. “It’ll be fine,” he says. “And we’ll be fine. I’m glad you’re safe, Troy.” He puts a hand on his shoulder. “I was really worried,” he says.

And Ben knows that Lily probably thinks he’s just calming Troy down. Lily is a little more cynical than he is, and Lily is a little more calculated than he is, and maybe that’s a phenomenal journalist thing that Ben needs to get a little better at. But Ben has always worn his heart on his sleeve, and his heart tends to be genuine. He _was_ worried about Troy. He still is.

Lily sends him a look that says something like _we should go before something bad happens_. Ben knows she’s right. Lily _is_ usually right about things, no matter how obnoxious she is about it.

“You two have to go, don't ‘cha,” Troy says sadly. 

Ben squeezes his eyes shut. “Probably,” he replies. “It’s just for your own safety. We don’t know what’s going to happen, especially since we’re- you know.”

“All special, and whatnot,” Troy says. “I know. And I’m super proud of you and Sammy. And Lily and Emily, too!”

Lily smirks. “Good to know that we’re all appreciated.”

“Just- go save the world quickly, okay?” Troy asks. “And don’t go getting yourselves killed, because if you do, I’ll have to bring you back just so I can kill you again!”

“Maybe ask that creepy coroner,” Lily comments, and Ben shivers and makes a face that is anything but flattering. Troy smiles.

“I love you, buddy,” Ben says, and he hugs Troy again. Troy somehow squeezes him _tighter_ , which definitely makes Ben’s back crack at least twice. “Air, Troy,” he wheezes, and Troy steps back without a lick of remorse on his face.

“Stay safe, Benny,” he says. “I love you, too.”

* * *

Lily sits down with her back against a tree once they’re safely back in the woods. “What the hell are we supposed to do?” she asks, more to herself than to Ben.

Ben answers anyway. “We got information,” he says. “We know what’s happening. We can probably just go back-”

“Oh, to hell with _that_ ,” Lily says. “We walked all the way here in freezing weather. No way in hell we’re leaving without doing _something_.”

Ben hums. “I don’t want to leave, either,” he says. “I want to help. But it’s like you said to Troy, we can’t help anyone if we get killed.”

Lily rolls her eyes. “It’ll be fine,” she says. “We’ll be fine. We just- we have to do something. Whatever happened to Ben ‘I Know Lily Wright Like The Back Of My Hand’ Arnold? You know I can’t just _not_ do things.”

Ben makes a _hmph_ noise. “Fine,” he says. “It’s not like I can’t not do things, either.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“And I don’t know you like the back of my hand, Lily. It’s just that you don’t live with someone for a year and not know how they tick.”

Lily rolls her eyes again. She isn’t bothering to look at him, so Ben sticks out his tongue at her without fear of her calling him a kid.

“Plan,” he says, and she perks up. “We go into town.”

“Troy said that it’s dangerous,” Lily remarks.

“And doesn’t that just make you want to go more?”

“Obviously.”

“We’ll try and make it to the Bent and Dent,” Ben says. “And get things, because we’re going to need food, anyway.”

“Walk down the middle of the street,” Lily agrees. “It feels wrong, but if it works.”

Ben nods slowly, thinking it through. “We’ll at least get groceries, if nothing else.” He holds out a hand, and Lily hesitates for a moment before taking it. He pulls her up. “You ready?”

She thinks about it. “Yeah, I think so,” she says. “Might as well while we’re in town, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Ben replies. “Let’s go.”

* * *

“Jesus Christ,” Lily mutters. “It’s like we’re in a fucking video game.”

“Except we don’t have a gun to shoot the bad guys,” Ben agrees. 

There are shadows up and down buildings, and it’s eerily quiet. Ben’s never heard Main Street so quiet in his life. He kind of wants to cry, because he spent so long journaling and doing his best to protect this place, and it all went to hell in a handbasket anyway. He doesn’t cry, because Lily is here, and even though he’s seen her when she wakes up and doesn’t realize she has drool on her face, some part of him still wants to impress her. 

Ben doesn’t cry, even though he doesn’t even think Lily would judge. Instead, he just tries really, really hard to think of all the lyrics to the song he was singing in the shower yesterday before the show. He is unsuccessful, but at least he isn’t looking at what’s left of his home.

“Are you humming the Call of Duty soundtrack?” he asks Lily incredulously.

“No,” she replies instantly.

“Lily,” Ben says.

“Ben,” Lily returns.

“Do you play Call of Duty.”

She sighs. “I was friends with all guys in college,” she says flatly. “I’ve played my fair share.”

Ben laughs, and the shadows shift on the walls. He shuts up immediately.

“We’re almost there, right,” Lily says quietly.

Ben nods. “Just a few more blocks and we’re there. You know, this would be easier if you ever did the shopping.”

“You say that like Sammy didn’t ban you from going to the store alone after the October Incident.”

“That was _one time_!”

Lily shushes him. “We are in a _goddamn apocalypse_ , Arnold,” she whispers violently. “This is no time for your shrieking.”

Ben sighs. He mockingly drags his fingers across his lips and throws the key away.

“No need to be quiet,” someone says. Ben’s head shoots up, and someone’s standing at the end of the road. It’s a man, far taller than Ben, curly hair. Ben looks at Lily, and within a second he knows who this is.

He hears Lily’s phone start ringing in her pocket, and she’s frozen in her spot. The man at the end of the street waves politely. Before he can think about it, Ben grabs her phone and answers it.

“Lily?” Sammy says, sounding panicked. “Lily, are you-”

“Sammy, it’s me,” Ben cuts him off. “We’re on Main Street, and- and Sammy, I think-”

“Oh, no,” Sammy says. “Is _he_ -”

The line goes dead. Ben looks up, and the man is far closer than he was a moment ago. It doesn’t feel like a video game so much as a horror movie, now.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ben,” Jack Wright says. “I don’t think we’ve ever been formally introduced.”

“I- holy fuck,” Ben says. Jack scoffs. “You shouldn’t be here.”

He rolls his eyes, and he looks so spectacularly like Lily. “I hate to break it to you, but your friend opened the door for me. I can be where I want.”

“You aren’t really Jack Wright, either, are you,” Ben says. “You’re- you’re _him_.”

Jack raises an eyebrow.

“You _asshole_ ,” Lily says, finally moving from where she was frozen. “You asshole. You left and what was I supposed to do?” She puts her arm out like she’s either going to touch his shoulder or maybe hit him, but he- he shifts away. It’s like bugs scattering when you shine a light on them. He’s suddenly _not_ where he was and he’s somewhere else.

“Maybe come and find me,” Jack says. “Not that difficult of a solution. Even Stevens figured that one out, Lils.”

 _Sammy_. “Lily,” Ben says quickly, “I think he was with them, too. Sammy and Emily.” Oh, God, _Emily_. Emily- no. Not now. “Lily. We have to get out of here.”

“Yeah, Lily,” Jack says enthusiastically. “Get out of here. Leave me again.”

“Oh, you don’t get to say that,” Lily retaliates, and she steps forward this time to try and touch him. He skitters away. “You don’t get to _fucking_ say that. You left _me_ , Jack!”

He puts a finger to his chin. “Did I?” he asks playfully. “Let’s ask Ben. He’s not a part of all this, is he? Always just a little left out. I bet he would look on with an unbiased eye.”

It’s Shadowmaker, obviously. Jack Wright- well, from what Ben’s heard, Jack Wright was many things, but not cruel. So it’s Shadowmaker playing with them, toying with them, trying to make them do something. Manipulating them. Using Jack’s face and voice and laugh- he’s laughing, now.

“Oh, I guess not, then,” Jack says. “Guess I left him speechless.”

“Fuck you,” Lily says. “Leave him alone, Jack- whatever you are. I _know_ you’re not him.”

“Do you now?”

“Lily,” Ben says. “The more we talk to him, the more he can do- whatever he wants to do. We have to go, _now_. Come on. You remember the station.”

Lily closes her eyes. “I know,” she says. She opens her eyes again, and looks at Jack. “Get _out_ of my brother,” she says.

He spread his hands out. “Sorry, Lils. No can do.”

And then a shadow creeps across the pavement and it’s almost shaped like a person, but blurry and Ben feels like he’s going to get a headache if he keeps looking at it. It might be standing upright, but it might just be on the ground- God, what the _hell_ -

Lily sticks her hand out to push it away and then it’s just _not_. It’s just not there. Ben rubs his eyes, and a person is lying on the ground. A woman. He doesn’t recognize her. She’s not moving, but she’s certainly not a shadow.

“What the _hell_ ,” Lily mutters. “What the _hell_!”

Jack makes a noise that _might_ be surprised, which is always good. “Lily, what have you gotten yourself into,” he says. “What-”

“Oh, God,” Ben says. “Lily, Debbie said you’re the Promised, whatever the hell that means. Do you think-”

Lily grabs his arm before he can keep talking. “We’re getting the hell out of here,” she says, and it doesn’t leave room for argument. She’s usually right about these things, after all.

“I’ll see you soon, Lily, Ben,” Jack says loudly, but he doesn’t sound like himself. He sounds- a little shocked. “Keep your friends close.”

* * *

Apparently Lily knows how to hotwire a car. They drive back through Sweetser Forest, and Ben hasn’t caught his breath.

“And your enemies closer,” he mutters to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> leave comments pls they keep me writing! and yell at me on twitter @lcvelaces


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